NEWARK - Former Port Authority executive David Wildstein pleaded guilty Friday to orchestrating the lane closures on the George Washington Bridge in 2013.

He has cooperated with investigators by implicating former Port Authority executive Bill Baroni and Bridgette Kelly, Gov. Chris Christie's former deputy chief of staff. Baroni and Kelly were each charged with nine criminal counts in an alleged scheme to misuse Port Authority resources.

Prosecutors said Wildstein, Kelly and Baroni conspired to punish the mayor of Fort Lee for refusing to endorse Gov. Christie's reelection campaign. Wildstein says the three of them arranged to shut down the bridge lanes.

School buses, ambulances and commuters were delayed for hours, and traffic was snarled for days.